A new poem which takes the form of a psalm

Psalm of parenthood

Mother of all, remake me

in Your image. Make me as noble

as the daffodils nodding graciously.

Root me in my generations.

Help me hold on to the splendor

my son sees when he runs toward me

at the end of a schoolday.

Give me the flannel-soft patience

for one more board book, one more cartoon.

Help me to balance the scales

of work and child

gentleness and strength.

Reinforce my boundaries

so I never confuse my child's issues

with my own. And my heart, God:

enlarge my ribcage

to encompass this overflowing love.

 

 

I've been working lately on some new poems which double as prayers and psalms. Here's one of them, a Psalm of Parenthood. It's structured loosely around the seven lower sefirot, emanations or facets of divinity: malkhut (nobility), yesod (foundation), hod (splendor), netzach (endurance), tiferet (balance), gevurah (boundaries), and chesed (lovingkindness.) These are among God's qualities; they are also among ours, and I think they're some of the qualities that parents need most.

If you like this, you might also like Waiting to Unfold, my new collection of motherhood poems, recently published by Phoenicia Publishing.